


The Doctor, The Detective & A Behaviorist: Reading Week Adventures

by MizUndahStood



Series: The Doctor, The Detective, & A Behaviorist [3]
Category: Benedict Cumberbatch - Fandom, Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: Adventure, Awkward Flirting, Chapters as Separate Parts?, Dancing, F/M, Flirting, Gen, In Character - Out of Canon, Mycroft's Meddling, Not Beta Read, Not Britpicked, Red Buttonhole, Sherlock Being Sherlock, Sherlock's Coat, Tags May Change, Watching NCAA Basketball, Work In Progress, set in Washington DC, solar eclipse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-28
Updated: 2015-04-04
Packaged: 2018-03-18 22:36:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3586602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MizUndahStood/pseuds/MizUndahStood
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's reading week, and Dr. Anna Eberhardt is on holiday from her teaching duties at UCL. The perfect opportunity for a trip home to Washington DC with Sherlock and John in tow.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Cover Art: The Doctor, The Detective & A Behaviorist: Reading Week Adventures

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What is “Reading Week”?
> 
> A week, usually midway through a university term, during which there are no classes or lectures, intended for students to concentrate on reading or research, particularly in the United Kingdom and some parts of Canada, known as "revision week" or "swotvac*" in Commonwealth countries.  
> Commonly referred to as Spring break, in the US universities
> 
>  
> 
> _*Study Without Teaching Vacation ___

  
[ ](http://s1375.photobucket.com/user/Miz_UndahStood/media/2015%20-%20December/347CB8F8-E661-4783-BFFF-B0C12DCEE397_zpswjswihhz.jpg.html)   



	2. Wheels Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "So fellas, reading week?... Don't know what we'll get into but, it's sure to be interesting. Are we ready?" Anna enthuses.
> 
> "Are _you ___?" Sherlock waggles a brow.  
>  "Oh, god... YES!" John chortles.  
> 

After boarding the jet commandeered to wend them to their transatlantic destination, Sherlock's phone pings with an email from Mycroft: 

_Midway through your flight, we'll be in touch with Dr Eberhardt's family to apprise them of a delay in the arrival your flight. When you land at IAD, you'll be met by a colleague of mine. Code name Galahad. He'll brief you on what's to be expected of you. And when. In the mean time - you'll be stopping briefly to top up at RKV in Iceland. I will be in touch_. MH

Sherlock screws his eyes shut and mutters under his breath. As the plane lines up to taxi, a bouncy somewhat insufferably enthusiastic young man appears:

“Hello, I'm Arthur your flight attendant. On behalf of Captain Martin Crieff and first officer Douglas Richardson, welcome aboard the New MJN Air. This is toooo exciting! We were on Gerti, about to go home, and three men wearing suits and talking into their sleeves told us to come with them. AND HERE WE ARE!!!"  
_Oh... Hell no._ Anna shakes her head. _Is this dude serious? I can't even with this..._  
"So, okay... The first leg of our flight will be London to Reykjavik then, continuing on to Dulles International Airport. Aren't we lucky? I've never been to Washington DC. Ohh! What fun!"

Anna scoffs, and rolls her eyes. She leans over to John and says "What a nitwit. Dulles is in Virginia."  
"Hmm..." John nods.

An announcement from the Captain fills the passenger compartment:  
"Our flight time to Iceland will be approximately two hours. We'll be flying at an altitude of 37, 000 feet at a ground speed of 498 miles per hour. Enjoy your flight."

Anna quirks her chin as she tries to place that voice. It seems oddly familiar somehow. She smiles to herself as she closes her eyes and imagines what the Captain must look like. _Hope we're properly introduced, Captain Crieff. Don't think I've ever met a pilot before... ___The apples of her cheeks light up, as her mind continues to wander. Until another verbal intrusion by Arthur shakes her back to reality:

"Oh! Umm... At this time, please make sure your seat belt is correctly fastened. Also, I kinda need to tell you to please, please turn off any electronic equipment. Thanks guys!"

Sherlock, John and Anna scrabble for assorted electronics, and turn them off. After attending to the flight deck, Arthur returns to offer refreshments. "Okay, we're fourth in line. Would anyone care for a beverage while they wait?"

The trio look to one another, and each shakes their head. Sherlock speaks for the group: "No. Thank you, Arthur." [](http://s1375.photobucket.com/user/Miz_UndahStood/media/2015%20-%20March/16CEAA5D-A682-4A7E-880D-B049CA045760_zpsvb8xlwcx.jpg.html)  
He then retreats into his Mind Palace during the safety briefing. 

John and Anna are similarly disinterested in Arthur's perfunctory palavering. Each seem lost in their own thoughts. Anna fidgets a little, and fiddles with the red buttonhole on Sherlock's coat. She's seen the same feature on one or two of Cal's jackets as well. When she makes that connection, she furrows her brow and sighs. 

The jet is next in line for takeoff. There are a few butterflies in Anna's stomach as the plane hurtles down the runway. Once they're nose up, and on their way, she exhales. She's not sure what's ahead of her in the next few days, but she's looking forward to spending time with her family, checking in with her rowdy ass gal pals and a chat with her mentor, probably about life on Baker Street. And, of course - spending lots of time with John and Sherlock. Anna smiles at the thought of squiring them around town. Taking them to as many of her favorite haunts as she possibly can in ten days.

Once they reach cruising altitude, they're free to unbuckle and relax. But not before another appearance by Arthur, offering beverages and noshes. 

[](http://s1375.photobucket.com/user/Miz_UndahStood/media/1442494E-8FA3-456B-87C5-A3226C5D4AB4_zpsjx0jmyge.jpg.html)

"Hey there! Now that we're airborne, would you like to rethink having a lovely beverage? Pastry maybe? Toast? We have a cheese tray too. Though for some reason, there's never any Camembert" He simpers as he flits to and fro fretfully.

"Mr Holmes and Dr Watson, I have tea for you. We were advised to have Earl Grey, and that's exactly what I have for you!" He scampers about fetching teacups and saucers.  
"For you Mr Holmes milk, three sugars. No embellishments for Doctor Watson, right?" John nods.  
"And... for Dr Eberhardt, I have something really lovely... a pomegranate poinsettia." 

Anna's eyes brighten immediately. _Arthur, you insufferable little twit... You had me at hello! ___she muses. She accepts the offer, with one proviso: "I'd like to make it myself, if you don't mind."  
Arthur sees no good reason to refuse. So, he ferries an empty glass, pomegranate juice and a split of champagne to her, allowing her to create the concoction as she sees fit. Sherlock and John sit and watch, fascinated by how she expertly open the champagne.

She holds her thumb over the top of the cork as she peels off the foil. Loosening it methodically and slipping it from under the pad of her thumb. She untwists the metal cage and removes it with similar skill. And now, her favorite part - removing the cork. Anna grabs the bottle by the shoulders, twists and tugs it ever so gently as she moves the cork gently in the opposite direction. The cork releases softly with barely a soft hiss. John and Sherlock applaud the skillful display. Anna smiles broadly, and pours herself a mixture of the bubbly and juice. She holds up her glass to admire her handiwork, before offering her chums a toast:

[](http://s1375.photobucket.com/user/Miz_UndahStood/media/2015%20-%20March/92169643-D009-48D3-8246-24F3048B59B3_zpsrz4yfpra.jpg.html)

"So fellas, reading week?... Don't know what we'll get into but, it's sure to be interesting. Are we ready?" Anna enthuses.  
" _Are you_?" Sherlock rumbles.  
"Oh, god... YES!" John chortles.

"Well then... Here's to it" Anna raises her glass.

"Cheers, luv!" John smiles.  
"Cheers, Anna..." Adds Sherlock, with a raised eyebrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here's a pic of Anna's boss Cal Lightman sporting a jacket with a red buttonhole. Wonder wassup with that. Hmmm. Perhaps we'll find out...
> 
>   
>  [](http://s1375.photobucket.com/user/Miz_UndahStood/media/2015%20-%20March/0FFF8D46-8AE7-4F7E-A4B8-146503AFCAE9_zpsjn3wtpfd.jpg.html)   
>    
> 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Anna? Wake up, luv. We're in Iceland for our refueling stop." John rouses her gently with a soft voice and a smile.
> 
> She smiles sleepily, hums and stretches. "Mmmm, okay. John?..."  
> "Yes?"  
> "I like waking up to your smiling face." Anna sighs.  
> "Might there be more of that in our near future, then?" John grins sheepishly.
> 
> "For the next few hours, at least. We have a lot to sort out, don't we?" Anna posits.

"Anna? Wake up, luv. We're in Iceland for our refueling stop." 

Anna blinks herself awake and looks directly into John's eyes. She smiles, hums and stretches. She unbuckles her safety belt, and looks around for Sherlock.  
"He got restless. He's on the tarmac pacing. Probably giving the ground crew a hard time under the guise of giving them a few pointers." John chuckles.  
"Yep, that's so Sherlock!" she chortles. "John?..."  
"Yes, luv?"  
"I like waking up to your smiling face."  
"Might there be more of that in our near future, then?"  
"I dunno, for the next few hours, at least. We have a lot to sort out, don't we?"  
"Yes, and I'm looking forward to whatever comes next. After Mary, I never thought..."

Anna leans in and kisses John's forehead. 

"Things have gotten much more complicated recently. Haven't they?" She chuckles.  
"Ya know, as a friend, I was truly gobsmacked by Sherlock admitting to checkin' me out. As a behaviorist, I realized there's a lot I have to learn about the full spectrum of asexual behaviors. I mean, I'd always figured ya did the deed or ya didn't. Never knew once did, but now can't be arsed was on the continuum. Geeze, wow..." Anna closes her eyes, shakes her head and shrugs.  
John kneels in the aisle next to her seat, and reaches for one of her hands. He clasps their hands together and kisses the back of her hand.  
"Anna, I know we've not made things easier for you. Whatever you decide - we'll always be friends, you and I. If we can be more, oh god, that'd be _amazing_... But I'm quite content to enjoy things just as they are."  
"I feel the same, John. I like working with you and living so close. You're a brilliant doctor, an incurable flirt, and I get to feed you up from time to time."

John smiles impishly, and licks his lip.

"By the way, my thought bubble already intuits the fact that you're a bloody awesome shag. Just thought I'd put that out there. Let _that_ marinate for the next few hours while we're cooped up in close proximity, why dontcha..." Anna clicks her tongue and waggles an eyebrow.

John's eyes widen, and he laughs out loud at Anna's impetuously cheeky pronouncement. 

"Not one to mince words are you?" John smiles, and shakes his head.  
"NOPE!" Anna giggles, popping the "P" sound for emphasis.

Anna rises from her seat and squeezes past John. 

"S'cuse me. I need the..."  
"That way..." Sherlock bellows, and points over his shoulder.  
"Hey, where've you been?" she asks the detective, as he enters the passenger cabin.  
"Needed some air. Wanted to stretch my legs, watch the ground crew at work..."  
"Okay. Hope you didn't piss anybody off, though. That would be, umm..."  
"A bit not good?" John interjects.  
"Yeah. That..." Anna confirms.  
"No worries on that score. I wanted to watch the goings on to file them away in my mind palace for future reference."

Anna and John look to each other and give a relieved nod as Anna makes her way to the loo. John steps closer to Sherlock and almost literally bends his ear.

"Erm... How much of that did you hear, Sherlock?" John winces.  
"Enough. Enough to know that we're all equally clueless about how perplexing our friendship has become."  
"Hmm. I believe you've got the gist of things, mate."

"Oi! I can hear you!" Anna announces from the loo. 

John and Sherlock look at each other and fall into boyish giggles. Anna pokes her head out of the lavatory door and asks "Did I miss something?"

"Do you ever?" Sherlock's snappy retort.  
"Mmm, no. Not usually." Anna pulls her head back inside and adds "Just checkin'!"

ooo~0~ooo

Once they're airborne again, Anna moves toward a sofa style bench where John is seated. She removes Sherlock's coat, and lies down near John, with her head resting on his thigh. She pulls the coat over her like a blanket and snuggles in.

"Sherlock?"  
"Mmmm?"  
"Can you wake me up in time for the eclipse, please?"  
"Yes, I absolutely will."  
"Thanks." Anna smiles and closes her eyes for a short nap. 

Sherlock looks across the aisle at his best mate sharing quiet time with his, erm... What is Anna, anyway? Certainly not a girlfriend. Perish the thought. Not his department, as Mycroft so thoughtfully reminded him before boarding. More than just his downstairs neighbor. Colleague? _Gal Pal?_ Anna wafts through his mind palace without notice, and confuses his transport to no end. Sherlock screws his eyes shut, shakes his head, and turns his gaze to the seemingly infinite expanse of fluffy clouds outside his window as he tries to make sense of things.

[ ](http://s1375.photobucket.com/user/Miz_UndahStood/media/2015%20-%20April/8D2589A7-9E3C-436D-A32B-2A893A26B0F2_zpsqj9wrsaj.jpg.html)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes? Later... ƸӜƷ
> 
> Not Beta'd or Britpicked.

**Author's Note:**

> What is reading week?:  
> http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/reading+week
> 
> Just a reminder - Sherlock let Anna wear his coat in ch14 of the main one-shot collection. 
> 
> This is a pic of Anna's boss, Cal Lightman wearing a red buttonhole. Hmmm... Wonder wassup with that? Perhaps we'll find out.
> 
>   
>  [](http://s1375.photobucket.com/user/Miz_UndahStood/media/2015%20-%20March/0FFF8D46-8AE7-4F7E-A4B8-146503AFCAE9_zpsjn3wtpfd.jpg.html)   
>    
> 


End file.
